Wet/dry refugium fine tuning help needed

[I love Lamp]

Hello

Long time lurker, first time to post, so thanks in advance!

I'm finishing up a 29 gallon trickle/refugium/sump filter for a new 90 gallon community tank. I've got a CPR CS Overflow box rated for 600 gph and my return pump is a Rio+ 3100 with 690 gph at a 4 ft. head height.

So what my problem is this: if you look at the pic I've attached....the water level in the trickle chamber and refugium is where the red line is. I'd like it about 2 inches lower (where the eggcrate is). The blue line shows where the water is in the return chamber....just barely covering the pump. What's the best bet to lower the red line without running the return chamber dry?





It's up and running. (not optimally, I know), but I'm trying to avoid having to tear the whole thing down to resize baffles or something.

Again, thanks for any help offered!

 

[celebrist]

I'm confused as to why lowering the level of the refugium would effect the return chamber

 

[I love Lamp]

Hi celebrist.

If I try and bail even a quarter inch of water out of the refugium, it results in the return chamber lowering about 2 inches.

I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around this thing.

Thanks!

 

[celebrist]

Sounds like your return pump is to strong, you could tee it and send some of the return back through the sump or even right into the return chamber. With a valve on the side hose you can control how much bypass stays in the sump. Does that make sense?

 

[dmopar74]

Take out whatever is in your bubble trap

 

[I love Lamp]

That was it dmopar74!! I had that in there to keep junk out as I was filling and test running. It's been there so long I forgot all about it.

Thanks!!